and smiled. “Maybe it would be.”
“When are your parents leaving on their voyage?” Bennett asked, hoping he sounded nonchalant. The lack of firm plans for their wedding was troubling, though he tried his best to exercise patience. He understood waiting for Shelly, but he still wanted to know where he stood with Ivy.
“In a few weeks,” Ivy said vaguely.
Bennett nodded at that and pressed on. “So, is there anything we want to plan before they leave?”
Ivy grinned and looked at Mitch and Shelly. “I don’t know. Is there?”
Raising his head, Mitch looked surprised, but he didn’t say anything. Shelly seemed to be waiting.
Ivy sliced into a portobello mushroom and paused, looking at Mitch. “Our parents offered to fly back from any port. Unless you want to make plans before they go.”
Bennett knew that was the plan, but Mitch had to come to terms with his feelings about having children before he married Shelly. Since Bennett had met Mitch, the younger man had always lived in the present, seldom planning ahead even to the weekend unless someone wanted to charter his boat.
People who lived at the beach were often like that—enjoying every day as it came. Bennett understood that. He’d once been a surfer living only for great waves. But Mitch’s problems ran deeper.
“Hey, I have an idea,” Shelly said. “Why don’t we all go get our marriage licenses together? There’s a county office nearby, and we could have lunch afterward to celebrate.”
Bennett glanced at Mitch out of the corner of his eye. “We still have time for that.”
“What if there is a run on marriage licenses?” Shelly asked. “I checked online, and they’re good for ninety days. Come on, you guys. This will be fun.”
“Sure,” Mitch said with only a slight hesitation.
Shelly’s face lit with happiness.
Bennett squeezed Ivy’s hand under the table. “I think we’re up for that, right?”
Ivy hesitated a moment, then smiled at Shelly. “You’re right. It sounds like fun.”
Shelly pushed on. “How’s tomorrow morning for everyone?”
“Don’t we have to get blood tests in California?” Ivy asked.
“Not anymore,” Shelly replied. “Mitch, do you have someone to cover the coffee run for you?”
“Let’s make it around ten,” Mitch said. “My new part-timer is working out pretty well. That will give me two on the floor even when I’m gone.”
“You’re on,” Shelly said, raising her glass.
They all clinked to the plan. Bennett watched Mitch, who had probably agreed just to keep Shelly happy. He hoped that Mitch could come to grips with his issues soon. If not, Shelly would be devastated. And knowing Ivy, she would want to push back their wedding, too. She wouldn’t want to celebrate too soon after Shelly’s misfortune. If it came to that.
Later that evening, after they’d all pitched in to wash dishes, Ivy joined Bennett on the balcony. They eased onto the rattan sofa. Navy and white cushions looked crisp and inviting.
“This is so cozy up here,” Ivy said, lifting her cup of tea to her lips. “Except for the argument about Darla and her friends, this was a magical evening.”
“I’ll work on that issue,” Bennett said.
Thoughtfully, Ivy stared out to sea. “People have no right to ruin Shelly and Mitch’s wedding.”
“I don’t think that will happen,” he said. “I’ve always had faith that right will prevail.”
Ivy looked up at him. “How can you be so sure?”
“If I felt otherwise, the pessimism would destroy me. I’m an optimist at heart, but that also means being willing to work hard toward what’s right.”
Ivy seemed to consider his words. After a few moments, she turned to him, her eyes shimmering with earnestness. “Do you think what Darla and others have said might have affected Mitch?”
“What makes you think that?”
“Mitch hasn’t set a date with Shelly. Don’t you think that’s odd?”
“We haven’t either,” he pointed out as gently as he could. He couldn’t share what Mitch had confided in him.
“But we’re waiting on them. I appreciate your being so understanding about that. I don’t want to steal Shelly’s spotlight.”
“You’re a thoughtful sister.” Bennett put his arm around her. “This crazy business with Darla will soon pass. And marriage licenses are good for ninety days. Mitch will probably come to a decision by then.”
“Then you don’t think he has?”
Bennett gazed at Ivy. She caught that quickly. “Maybe Mitch made his decision a long time ago. Perhaps he wants to appear spontaneous because it’s in keeping with the personality he’s cultivated among people. If you’re known for being spontaneous, people don’t ask or expect too much of you. All